Play games for longer on your Galaxy S5, thanks to software trickery from Lucid (Updated)

Smartphone makers are always looking for ways to give their devices an edge over the competition. One of the most popular is to maximize battery life, without making the device so heavy no one will dare wield it. On its recently announced Galaxy S5 smartphone, Samsung has not only fitted a bigger battery than its predecessor, but it has also installed special software called PowerXtend to help maximize battery life. Created by an Israeli firm named Lucid, its presence has now been confirmed, following early rumor reports.

Lucid’s PowerXtend software suite, featuring NavXtend, GameXtend and WebXtend, kicks in when your Android device fires up the graphics processor. Typically, the GPU just gets straight to work, processing whatever you’re currently viewing. However, when PowerXtend steps in, it optimizes the experience and ultimately offers comparable GPU processing power at a fraction of the battery power needed. The different packages included in Lucid’s software monitor your usage, and adjust the savings depending on if you’re playing a hardware-intensive game or just trying to browse the web.

In tests performed at CES 2014, the PowerXtend technology reduced power consumption significantly. The demonstration below shows two identical smartphones performing simple tasks, all the while having their energy consumption monitored by power meters. You can see the difference for yourself.

Samsung hasn’t always been noted for its software optimization, but now the Galaxy S5 does have PowerXtend technology, it’s evidence the company is taking the software side of the new flagship more seriously.

The benefits of PowerXtend will be enhanced by Samsung’s own Ultra Power Saving Mode, which dials the phone’s features down and changes the screen to black and white, potentially providing hours of use even when your battery is running extremely low. While we’re not quite on the cusp of having devices that last a week on a single charge, there is comfort in knowing you won’t always have to run around with a charging cable for it to last all day and night.

The Galaxy S5 will be launching in the U.S. on April 11th with all major carriers, and you can check out our hands-on test with the phone here.

Updated on 03-11-2014 by Andy Boxall:Lucid has confirmed its PowerXtend technology has been added to the Samsung Galaxy S5, after debuting inside the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 last year. The press release concentrates on the GameXtend section of the software, promising a 35 percent increase (approximately two to three hours in the real world) in possible game play time, thanks to its power saving abilities. You can check out the official video explaining more about PowerXtend below.

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